The Sports Inquirer

Music to listen to: At The Movies by Bad Brains

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) New York Rangers

The Rangers needed a loss by the Carolina Hurricanes in the final day of the regular season to back into the final spot of the playoffs while the Capitals have overcome a mid-season swoon to finish with the best record in the East.

The two teams met last in the playoffs in 2009 when New York held a 3-1 series lead before dropping three consecutive contests to lose the series in seven games.

Two years later, the Rangers still employ a conservative style, relying on a deep defensive line and top-10 NHL goalkeeper Henrik Lundquist.

The Capitals have converted from a mostly offensive style that relied on top goal scorers in 2009 to a defensive unit that takes advantage of the opponents mistakes.

Keys to the series:

1)  How will rookie Washington Capitals goalkeeper Michal Neuvirth handle the playoff pressure?

In the history of the NHL playoffs, rookie goalkeepers such as Ken Dryden, Ron Hextall, Patrick Roy, Cam Ward and others have led their teams to Stanley Cup Finals appearances.  The Capitals are hoping the same can happen for them.

Neuvirth finished third among rookie netminders in the regular season with 27 wins, so the trust is there from the Capitals’ organization.

2)  Which Alex Ovechkin or Capitals’ team will we see in this playoff round?

Last season, the Capitals were in the same spot, top seed in the East, winners of the Presidents’ Trophy for having the most points in the entire NHL, and lost a seven-game series to Montreal in the first round after leading it three games to one.

The biggest issue for the Capitals in the 2010 playoffs was the disappearance of the offense, particularly Ovechkin.  He’s the most talented offensive player in the league but the Canadians found a way to stymie the entire offensive unit.

3)  Where will the scoring for the Rangers come from?

While New York may have a top-five defense, actually ranking fifth in the NHL this season in goals allowed per contest, the offense is pedestrian at best.

I know you can look at the statistics and actually see that the Rangers actually scored nine more goals this season than the Capitals, but Washington has more reliable offensive options such as Ovechkin, Jason Arnott, Mike Green, Alezander Semin, etc.

The Rangers have been waiting more than two years for Marian Gaborik to emerge as the top offensive player for the team (and paying him $7.5 million annually to boot), but it hasn’t happened yet.

As much as I like the effort of Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, you have to worry about a lack of goals if you’re a Rangers’ fan.

4)  Does Lundquist have enough left in the energy tank?

He has started the final 26 games for the Rangers and many of the contests have been with playoff-like pressure.  While some may look at Lundquist being sharp, especially since he posted a league-high 11 shutouts and a career-best .923 save percentage, he may have to fight fatigue throughout the series.

Prediction:  Capitals in six

The biggest shock of the first round would be the Capitals to fail to win a playoff series for the second year in a row.  The Rangers aren’t as good as the Canadians were last year and the Capitals play better defense in 2011 than in 2010.

As with any rookie goaltender, Neuvirth may let in an easy goal or two and allow the Rangers to steal a contest, especially the first game of the series.

However, the Rangers don’t have the weapons to take advantage of the Capitals’ errors or injury problems.